An insurance option worth considering

Believe it, say state leaders. Hurricane mitigation, or making homes more hurricane-resistant, is the one thing Florida lawmakers agree on, even when they fiercely quarrel over property insurance measures. They like it because insurers are more likely to lower rates for homes that are stronger and less prone to hurricane damage.

"That's the real true answer to the crisis, it really is," Sen. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, chair of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, told the Sun-Sentinel last year.

The belief in mitigation led the state to create the $40 million My Safe Florida Home program. It provides eligible homeowners with free inspections to help them find and document hurricane-resistant features that they may not even know about. (See videos below.)

But if your home lacks key hurricane-resistant features, is the expense of upgrades worth it?

Most readers who call me to talk about mitigation say "yes" because their premiums dropped after they got better shutters or a stronger roof.

But a few readers have called to complain, saying they’re disappointed they didn’t get the savings they expected because they already had too many credits from other mitigation measures.

A Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance customer called me to say the insurer dropped him shortly after lowering his premium for mitigation discounts. A MetLife spokesman said the reduced premium did not have anything to do with the customer's being dropped; the MetLife company he was with is scaling back from Florida but other MetLife companies are still writing new homeowners policies in the state.

That said, there are great reasons to go through with upgrades even if you don’t get the savings you expected: You’ll probably increase the value of your home and it will be safer in a hurricane. Which means you’ll get back to normal life sooner and may not have to worry about getting a claim paid.

What do you think? What has your experience been with inspections and upgrades?

To apply for a free inspection from My Safe Florida Home, visit mysafefloridahome.com or call 866-513-6734.